Stop-Torture-Report

The Extensive Use of Informers
Many witnesses who lived abroad returned home because of family funerals or
family weddings, or because they were told that President Rajapaksa had
declared it safe for Tamils to return home. Some who had participated in
Heroes Day celebrations honouring those LTTE killed in combat, or who had
participated in lawful protests abroad, came to the attention of the security
forces and were apprehended on their return to Sri Lanka, and severely tortured
and sexually abused.
A security force insider testified since the presidential election in 2015 that
military intelligence officials from Joseph Camp were actively looking for any
Tamils returning home from abroad in order to interrogate them 80 . The witness
stated that the intention was to abduct, detain and torture them. We have
obtained multiple photographs of informers and from showing these to
witnesses who have recently arrived in the UK we know several informers are
still active in the Vanni. This makes this period of apparent openness and
reconciliation generated by the change of government one of great risk,
especially when there is no demilitarisation or reduction in surveillance.
In addition to detailed state intelligence records, multiple accounts from
witnesses and local activists in the North and East make it clear there are still
informers in every village who report any movements in or out to the security
forces:
“The most recent visit to my parents was in early February [2015] by military
intelligence. They asked about my brother and me and they asked my dad to go
to XXX army camp and interrogated him for three hours. My dad was
hospitalised afterwards as he has high blood pressure. Before this incident the
security forces visited four or five times. My parents would go to stay with
relatives elsewhere to escape it – they were almost in hiding. As soon as they
return home, someone informs the army and they appear the next day.”
80 Witness 118.
103